Method of storing a material within another material



FIP7904 Jan. 9, 1962 R. J. CHAMBERLAIN 3,015,884

METHOD OF STORING A MATERIAL WITHIN ANOTHER MATERIAL Filed Oct. 16, 1957 /NVENTo/Q "QoBE/QT J. CHAMBEQLAW BY TTOQNEY 3,015,884 METHOD OF STORING A MATERIAL WITHIN ANOTHER MATERIAL Robert J. Chamberlain, Natick, Mass., assignor to Raytheon Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 690,577 7 Claims. (Cl. 29-423) This invention relates in general to methods for storing materials Within other materials and in particular to methods for storing materials for use in subsequent assembly on automatic r semi-automatic machines.

In handling materials that are to be used eventually in assembling such devices as electron tubes, for instance, the fragile nature of some of the materials used makes the feeding of the materials to assembling machines diiiicult on a mass production basis. In the handling of mica spacers, for example, that are used in mounting and insulating electrodes of electron tubes, the spacers are conventionally stamped out and carried loose in cartons or fed to hoppers for use in assembly. At the assembly point, the loose spacers are spilled on to a bench from either the carton or the hoppers, and, thence, manually picked up and inserted into the correct place in the assembling machine. The manual orientation of the spacers at the assembly point causes an undesirable loss in time and the entire process makes it easy to damage the mica pieces, which are apt to ake or break oli at the edges.

The invention described herein seeks to accomplish the stamping, carrying, storing, and feeding processes in a more convenient and practical manner for greater ease in handling, with far less damage to the mica pieces and far greater savings in time. The invention is especially adaptable to automation procedures wherein the entire operation from stamping to assembly can be accomplished automatically. One embodiment of the invention brings about this result by providing a method for inserting or embedding the mica spacers into a strip or ribbon of some suitable material, such as fish paper, the thickness of which may be substantially equal to that of the spacers. The stamping and insertion of the spacers can be done in a single blanking operation. The spacers are embedded along the fish paper carrier strip at accurately spaced intervals and the fish paper can be conveniently rolled up on a suitable reel for easy carrying and storage until needed for subsequent assembly or can be fed directly to the assembly point. At the assembly point the strip can be automatically oriented in the assembling machine by removing one or more of the mica spacers, thereby leaving strategically spaced holes along the ribbon. The ribbon can then be threaded through a registering apparatus having pilot or indexing devices that enter the empty holes and, thus, hold the ribbon in the correctly oriented position for use in the assembling process. The invention can best be understood With the help of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the system that prepares the ribbon of fish paper with inserted mica spacers for carrying and storage;

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show three stages in the blanking operation that are performed by the punch and die unit;

FIG. 5 shows a ribbon of fish paper embedded with mica spacers that is the result of one embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the registering device that orients the fish paper ribbon and mica spacers for assembly purposes.

In FIG. l a coil 1 of fish paper is mounted on the right at the input or feeding end of punch and die assembly unit 2. The fish paper is used as a carrier and in this particular embodiment of the invention the fish paper ited States Patent 3,l5,884 Patented Jan. 9, 1962 sheets are first cut in the form of relatively narrow strips or ribbons that are then rolled onto suitable cores, such as the core 3, and mounted as shown. A mica sheet 4, from which the mica spacers are derived, is manually or automatically fed to the punch and die unit 2. The mica sheet 4 is fed in such a manner that the sheet lies on top of the fish paper strip 5 as shown in FIG. l. The combination punch and die unit 2. simultaneously forms the mica spacer, cuts the fish paper carrier and inserts the mica spacer into the fish paper carrier in a single stage of operation. A more detailed description of the punch and die operation is given subsequently with the aid of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

After a mica spacer is inserted into the paper carrier, the paper carrier and mica combination is advanced by means of the roller feed system 6, the details of which are not shown. This system is a conventional overrunning clutch type of roller feed that accurately advances the paper carrier and mica strip a predetermined distance so that the next insertion o-f a mica spacer into the fish paper carrier is performed at an accurately predetermined distance along the paper from the previously inserted mica spacer.

As the fish paper carrier with the inserted mica spacer advances, it passes through conventional spray nozzles '7, which spray a suitable chemical solution on both sides of the mica spacers. The chemical solution imparts suitable electrical characteristics to the mica spacer. In some cases the chemical solution may also serve as a means of identification. The paper carrier may then be rewound on a suitably cored reel 8 so that it can easily be carried and stored until needed for the later assembly.

A drawing of a sample of fish paper carrier with the embedded mica spacers is shown in FIG. 5. The spacers 9 shown here are merely round disks of mica. However, these spacers may be pierced and blanked to any desired configuration in the combination stamping operation at the punch and die unit. Spacers 9 are substantially equal in thickness to that of the fish paper carrier 10. Such may not be necessary, however, since the relative thicknesses of the two materials are determined by the ability of the carrier to hold the carried material conveniently for Whatever purpose it may be used.

Three stages of the operation of the punch and die unit are shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Because the components shown in each figure are equivalents, the same reference characters are used in each of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. The die 11 has a vertical motion as shown by the arrows 20 at either side of the die. At the end of any particular punching operation the die 11 is in an open position and the paper is accurately advanced a predetermined distance to a new position by the roller feed system 6 as described above. The die is then closed. FIG. 2 shows the die in a closed position. The blanking punch 12 moves up into the die 11 and its cutting edges pierce the fish paper strip and mica sheet and, thereby, cut out pieces 13 and 14 of fish paper and mica, respectively. Mica piece 14 represents the desired spacer that is to be inserted into the paper carrier. Fish paper piece 13 is of no use and is eventually discarded. The removed pieces of mica and fish paper are pressed against shedder 15. The shedder has a vertical motion as shown by arrow 16 and is spring loaded to provide a limited path of motion along channel 17. The spring is not shown in the figure. Thus, when the die is closed, the shedder is constrained in a position near the top of channel 17. The stripper 18 and the insert guide section 24 attached to the stripper along the bottom side of the fish paper are pushed downward by the die when the die closes. The stripper and guide section also have a vertical motion as shown by arrows 19 and their path of motion is also constrained by a spring loading device not shown in the figure.

When die I1 is in a partially open position as shown in FIG. 3, the spring loaded shedder and stripper are released and their' combined action results in the insertion of the cut-out piece of mica I4 into the fish paper strip 5. The springs which constrain the motion of the shedder and stripper can be adjusted so that when the shedder and stripper are released the mica piece rests in line With the fish paper strip and is inserted by means of a press fit into the hole in the fish paper strip that results from the punching operation. The opening in guide section 24, through which punch 12 moves, has a slightly larger diameter than the punch. Thus, at this stage of the operation, the cut-out piece 13 of fish paper is allowed to drop through this opening and rests on top of the punch 12 in the stripper channel 2f.

After the insertion of the mica piece 1 4 into the fish paper, the die is then moved to its full open position and the strip of fish paper S is advanced to a new position as shown in FIG. 4. The mica sheet is then manually or automatically fed to a new position so that another section of the sheet can be used in a new combination stamping operation. During the time that the strip is advanced, air is forced into the stripper channel 21 by means of an air hose 22 and channel 23. The cut-out piece 13 of fish paper is, thus, air ejected out through the stripper channel 21 and the system is now in a position to allow the die to close again and repeat the entire operation.

The formation of a paper carrier strip with embedded mica spacers allows not only convenient carrying and storage procedures but also an accurate and easily performed method of orientation at the assembly point. At the assembly fixture or machine, one or more strategically placed mica spacers can be removed automatically or manually from the fish paper strip so as to leave holes at certain predetermined intervals along the paper carrier. The number and spacings of the holes depends on the particular type of assembly fixture being used. The paper carrier is then threaded through a registering device as shown in FIG. 6. ln that figure7 some of the mica spacers 9 previously embedded in the paper carrier have been removed at strategically placed positions along the carrier thereby leaving holes 25. Pilot or indexing devices 25, which are a part of the registering assembly fixture, have been inserted into the holes lett after the removal of mica spacers and, thus, hold the paper in a correct, predetermined orientation for use in the assembly fixture.

It is not to be construed that the process described in this specification and shown in FIGS. l to 6 is the only embodiment of the invention that is possible. The paper carrier may be made of a substance other than fish paper, having similar properties of flexibility and rigidity, for instance, a type of plastic or other semi-rigid material. Metal carriers may also be used for this purpose. The carrier material and the material being stored may be cut into any form other than strips or ribbons and a suitable feeding process devised for the punch and die operation. The carrier material may be embedded with materials other than mica, such as metal stampings which are also used in electron tube assembly, for example. The inserted material may be formed into any desired shape by the punch and die operation. The inserted material need not necessarily be of the same thickness as the carrier material and any suitable method of carrying and storing other than the reels shown in FIG. 1 may be used. A plurality of punch and die units may be used to punch and insert a plurality of spacers simultaneously. Those skilled in the art will be able to devise other equivalents within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is desired that this invention not be limited by the details of the embodiment described in this specification except as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of storing a first rigid material within a second fiexible, semi-rigid material comprising the steps of superimposing a quantity of said first material over a quantity of said second material, progressively feeding said superimposed materials at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed materials between said predetermined intervals so as to form pieces of each of said materials whereby holes are left in said superimposed materials, and inserting said pieces of said first material into said holes in said second material whereby a plurality of said pieces of said first material are embedded at predetermined positions in said second material.

2. The method of storing pieces of mica comprising the steps of superimposing a sheet of mica over a strip of fiexible, semi-rigid material, progressively feeding said superimposed sheet and strip at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed sheet and strip between said intervals so as to form pieces of mica and pieces of said fiexible, semi-rigid material whereby holes are left in said superimposed sheet and strip, and inserting said pieces of mica into said holes in said fiexible, semi-rigid material whereby a plurality of mica inserts are embedded at predetermined positions along said strip of said flexible, semi-rigid material.

3. The method of storing pieces of metal comprising the steps of super-imposing a strip of metal over a strip of flexible, semi-rigid material, progressively feeding said superimposed strips at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed strips between said intervals so as to form pieces of metal and pieces of said flexible, semi-rigid material whereby holes are left in said superimposed strips, and inserting said pieces of metal into said holes in said fiexible, semi-rigid material whereby a plurality of metal inserts are embedded at predetermined positions along said strip of said exible, semi-rigid material.

4. The method of storing pieces of mica having a predetermined shape for subsequent assembly in electron tubes comprising the steps of superimposing a sheet of mica over a strip of sh paper, progressively feeding said superimposed sheet and strip at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed sheet and strip between said intervals so as to form pieces of mica and fish paper having substantially the same shape, Whereby holes are left in said mica sheet and said fish paper strip, inserting said pieces of mica into said holes in said strip of fish paper whereby a plurality of mica inserts is embedded at predetermined positions along said strip of fish paper, separating said sheet of mica and said strip of fish paper containing said plurality of mica inserts, and placing said strip of fish paper containing said plurality of mica inserts onto a reel.

5. The method of storing pieces of mica having a predetermined shape for subsequent assembly in electron tubes comprising the steps of superimposing a sheet of mica over a strip of fish paper, progressively feeding said superimposed sheet and strip at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed sheet and strip between said intervals so as to form pieces of mica and fish paper having substantially the same shape, whereby holes are left in said mica sheet and said fish paper strip, inserting said pieces of mica into said holes in said strip of fish paper whereby a plurality of mica inserts is embedded at predetermined positions along said strip of fish paper, removing said piece of fish paper, separating said sheet of mica and said strip of fish paper containing said plurality of mica inserts, spraying said plurality of inserts with a chemical solution, and placing said strip of fish paper containing said plurality of mica inserts onto a reel.

6. The method of storing a first rigid material for subsequent assembly comprising the steps of superimposing a quantity of said first material over a quantity of a second liexible, semi-rigid material, progressively feeding said superimposed materials at predetermined intervals to a cutting device, cutting said superimposed materials between said predetermined intervals so as to form pieces of each of said materials whereby a first plurality of holes is left in said superimposed materials, inserting said pieces of said first material into said first plurality of holes in said second material whereby a plurality of said pieces of said first material is embedded at predetermined positions in said second material, feeding said second material containing said plurality of pieces of first material to an assembly machine, removing some of said pieces of first material from said second material whereby a second plurality of holes is left in said second material, inserting indexing devices into said second plurality of holes whereby said second material containing said pieces of first material is oriented in said assembly machine.

7. The method of storing a first rigid material within a second iiexible, semi-rigid material comprising the steps of superimposing a quantity of said first material over a quantity of said second material, feeding said superimposed materials to cutting devices, cutting said superimposed materials so as to form pieces of each of said materials whereby holes are left in said superimposed materials, and inserting pieces of said first material into said holes in said second material whereby a plurality of said pieces of said first material are embedded in said second material.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 697,503 Lindsay Apr. 15, 1902 735,757 Grubbs Aug. 1l, 1903 1,110,762 Ferry Sept. 15, 1914 1,558,419 White Oct. 20, 1935 2,441,181 Baithelheim May 11, 1948 2,625,737 Spooner Jan. 20, 1953 2,845,606 Fuller July 29, 1958 

1. THE METHOD OF STORING A FIRST RIGID MATERIAL WITHIN A SECOND FLEXIBLE, SEMI-RIGID MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SUPERIMPOSING A QUANTITY OF SAID FIRST MATERIAL OVER A QUANTITY OF SAID SECOND MATERIAL, PROGRESSIVELY FEEDING SAID SUPERIMPOSED MATERIALS AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS TO A CUTTING DEVICE, CUTTING SAID SUPERIMPOSED MATERIALS BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED INTERVALS SO AS TO FORM PIECES 